The substance is one of the biggest cinematic surprises of 2024, and is a brilliant, modern reimagining of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 horror film, Psychopath. The film following the Coralie Fargeat film Revenge, The substance is about Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) being pushed out of the spotlight due to her age. However, she is offered a miracle solution in the form of the titular medicine, the substance. Although it promises to make her a more idealized version of herself, it ultimately leads to the creation of Margaret Qualley's Sue.
The substance is a tragically beautiful film with a good balance of heartbreak and body horror. The substance also contains many Easter eggs and references to previous horror films, including Alfred Hitchcock Psychopath. Fargeat's nod to Psychopath is deeper than just a visual nod, however; the 2024 horror film also touches on similar themes.
The vulnerability of exploiting substances and psychoses in similar ways
Both films use a bathroom to do this
In The substance, Sue's creation takes place in Elizabeth's bathroom. It's horrible"birthday", as Sue emerges from Elizabeth's back, almost tearing her in two. From then on, the bathroom becomes a key place for The substance. It's where her inactive body rests, and it's where Elizabeth's most vulnerable and moving scenes take place. Whether it's taking the drug, fixating on her flaws before a date, or discovering that Sue is stealing her youth, Elizabeth faces her worst insecurities and fears in the bathroom.
Using the bathroom as a space to explore these vulnerabilities is a brilliant idea, but it's not new. Psychopath does something similar with his infamous shower scene. Like Elizabeth, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is most vulnerable in the bathroom. Her guard is down and she feels safe enough here to be completely exposed. However, this security is destroyed when Norman Bates, one of Hitchcock's most unforgettable villains, sneaks up behind Marion and kills her while bathing.
While what starts in bathrooms The substance and Psychopath is different, the use of these locations is similar.
That Psychopath scene went down in cinema history, using the combination of nudity and violence to shock the audience. The location of the bathroom – specifically a shower – helps make it more violent because Marion is so vulnerable here. While what starts in bathrooms The substance and Psychopath is different, the use of these locations is similar. In both films, This is where Elizabeth and Marion are most vulnerable. It is also where their bodies are subjected to unimaginable horrors.
How the substance references the psychopath
The substance visually nods to Alfred Hitchcock's horror film
In addition to the thematic similarities these films have when it comes to this setting, there is also a visual nod to Psychopath - specifically, the movie's shower scene - in The substance. Like @cinematogolist_ on Instagram highlights in his video, the scene in which the Substance takes effect on Elizabeth mirrors Marion's death.
In PsychopathAfter Norman Bates stabs Marion several times, she falls to the ground and dies naked and alone. As she takes her last breath, Marion has no choice but to stare into space, helpless and exposed. Likewise, when the Substance kicks in and Sue is "to be born", Elizabeth is left suffering, exposed and defenseless on the floorforced to watch a new version of herself take control of her life.
The substance, which is now a streaming hit, it's all about exploiting a woman's vulnerabilities in relation to her age and body. So it makes sense to set some of the most traumatic scenes in the bathroom. Additionally, referencing the shower scene Psychopath works beautifully as it is an infamous scene that fits perfectly The substancethemes.